Let It Be
by Spring Witch
Summary: Hartia and Lai are head over heels in love with each other, but neither one of them can find the courage to tell the other how they really feel. HartiaLai yaoi one shot
1. Hartia and Lai

**Let It Be**

**Chapter One**

The two friends watched from the battlements of the Tower of Fang as a blonde haired boy hugged a dark haired girl and slipped away into the night.

"Another talent leaves us." Hartia sighed.

"Majic's place is with Krylancelo. But I think he'll be back; Eris is in love with him and I think he feels the same." Lai said reassuringly.

"They're both very fortunate to have someone who cares about them that much." Hartia said wistfully. "I don't believe that anyone has ever felt that strongly about me."

Lai rested his hand lightly on Hartia's shoulder. "Do not fear my friend. There is someone out there for you," he replied softly. "And that someone is probably closer than you think." He added, an odd look on his face.

Hartia smiled. "Thankyou Lai, somehow you always manage to make me feel better."

Lai patted his shoulder. "Don't mention it. I'll always be here Hartia, no matter what."

Hartia smiled again and stifled a yawn. "Thanks Lai, you're the greatest." He said, "I think I'd better turn in, I've got classes in the morning and no doubt a meeting with the Elders to explain Majic's disappearance."

Lai laughed a little. "I don't envy you at all my friend. Not at all!"

"Awww, c'mon Lai, you could be a _little_ sympathetic!" Hartia whined.

"Now you sound like Krylancelo!" Lai laughed harder.

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing." Hartia commented wryly.

"Neither am I." Lai chuckled.

"Ah well, thanks for the support." Hartia yawned again. "Night Lai."

"Any time Hartia, goodnight." Lai answered with a wave.

As Hartia vanished into the shadows, Lai sighed and pulled his hood over his head, hiding his piercing blue eyes from sight. "I'll always be here for you Hartia, for eternity, no matter what." He whispered. "You do have someone who cares about you that much… me." Lai turned, and he too faded into the darkness like a wraith.

Hartia, lying awake in his chambers, whispered too. "Oh Lai, could you ever feel for me the way I feel for you?"

* * *

"Morning Hartia, sleep well?" Lai asked, grinning wickedly. Hartia was not a morning person. Never had been and never will be.

"Not a wink." Hartia replied with a sigh. "The minute my head hit the pillow my brain went into overload."

He put his head on the table. "Wake me up when classes start!" he groaned.

"Oh c'mon Hartia! You think too much, that's your problem." Lai prodded him in the side. "Besides, Eris is heading this way."

"Uh-oh, I have a bad feeling about this." Hartia sighed.

"Master Hartia, Master Lai." Eris bowed. "The Elders wish to see you both."

"Thanks Eris. Can you tell the class that they have a day off?" Hartia said as they rose from their seats. Eris nodded and hurried away.

"At least they'll have some fun today." Lai commented dryly as they walked towards the Elders' chambers.

"Hmmm, true. More than we will anyway." Hartia replied. "Ah well, here we are anyway." They came to a halt outside the door to the Elders' meeting rooms.

Lai knocked on the huge oak doors. "Enter!" commanded an imperious voice.

When they did so, Hartia winced at the cold tones of their voces as they addressed him. "Well Hartia, would you care to explain why you did nothing to prevent Majic from leaving the Tower of Fang?"

"Because there was no reason to stop him." Hartia replied. "His place is with Krylancelo; Majic will learn more effectively with him than with anybody else."

"Hmmm, what are your thoughts on the situation Lai?" one of the Elders questioned.

"I agree with Hartia. Majic didn't really seem to be achieving much here." Lai answered truthfully.

"Of course you do. Stupid question really." The Elder who spoke sounded like he was about to laugh, which was very rare.

Seemingly unfazed by the Elder's behaviour, Lai continued. "I do however; believe that Majic will visit from time to time, for a few reasons."

"Ah yes, young Eris." The Elder said knowingly. "Very well, there is nothing you can really do about it anyway. You're both dismissed."

The two men bowed and exited the room swiftly and silently. Only then did the Elder allow himself a soft chuckle.

"What do yo find so amusing?" one of the others asked him.

"Those two." He answered.

"How so?"

"If you can't see it, then you must be blind." The Elder simply laughed again.

* * *

Once they were outside, Hartia sagged tiredly against the giant gold embossed oak doors. "That went well, better than I expected." He said, relieved. 

"Indeed, I too was a little surprised at how well they took the whole situation." Lai admitted.

"One thing I don't understand is why did the Elder say he wasn't surprised when you agreed with me?"

Lai pulled his hood over his head before Hartia saw that he was blushing. "Well, he knows we're friends, so it's only natural he'd realise I'd stick up for you."

"Friends…I suppose that's true." Hartia conceded, somewhat reluctantly in Lai's opinion. The red-head stretched his arms over his head and gave the older man a grin. "Well, seeing as that didn't take as long as we thought, and we can't really begrudge the students that day off we promised them, I think I might grab a comic book and take the opportunity to catch up on my reading."

Lai smiled back. "Sounds like a plan, I might come and visit later." He answered.

"All right, I'll see you later then." Hartia replied, heading off down the hall.

As it happened, Lai didn't get around to visiting his friend until later that night. He rapped lightly on the door and received no answer. Frowning, he tried the handle and the door swung open. Sliding silently inside, he closed the door with a soft click, and when he turned to face the room, he saw that Hartia had fallen asleep on his bed, his favourite volume of **"The Black Tiger**" resting lightly on his chest.

Smiling softly to himself, Lai crossed the room to the bed and pulled the dishevelled covers over his sleeping friend. "Good thing you never make your bed." He whispered.

He couldn't help but think how adorable the boy looked when he was asleep, and on impulse he leaned over and brushed Hartia's lips in feather light kiss. "Sleep well, my one and only." He murmured tenderly, running his fingers lightly through the sleep-tangled strands of fire before stealing silently from the room. As the door closed, Hartia opened his eyes and smiled. He'd woken up when he'd heard the door close.

* * *

"Morning Hartia, sleep well?" Lai asked, that wicked grin gracing his features once more. This was almost a ritual conversation for them. 

"Well enough, until I woke up around 2:00 am and couldn't for the life of me get back to sleep." Hartia replied, only half lying. He had somehow managed to get back to sleep after Lai had left. Well, not really lying, just omitting what he wasn't meant to know about.

"So, considering it's a weekend, do you plan to continue your reading?" Lai asked.

"Yeah, care to join me?" Hartia answered, trying to seem like he did _not_ have an ulterior motive behind the invitation.

"Sure, I've got nothing better to do." Lai hid his face so Hartia couldn't see him blush.

"Great, but I'd better go and tidy up first." Hartia got to his feet and trotted down the hall.

Lai gave him ten minutes head start before following him. The door was ajar when he got there, and when he entered, Lai sae that Hartia was already stretched out on the bed engrossed in his comic book. The sight of him looking so innocent was almost too much for Lai, but somehow he managed to control himself, even when Hartia looked up at him and grinned. "Take a seat." He patted the bed.

Hesitantly, Lai lie down next to him and picked up the first volume of "**The Black Tiger**", his curiosity piqued.

They were silent for quite a while before Hartia spoke again. "I forgot to thank you."

Lai looked sideways at him. "For what?" he queried, sounding calmer than he currently felt.

"I'm guessing it was you who pulled the covers over me?"

Lai kept his eyes trained firmly on the book. "Yes, that was me. You were asleep by the time I looked in on you." He answered.

'_No, I wasn't._' Hartia thought to himself.

They stayed that way almost the whole day, talking little. By the time night fell, Lai knew those books almost as well as Hartia did, although was considerably less obsessed.

It was about 10:00 pm by the time Lai sat up and straightened his robes. "It's getting late; maybe we should continue this tomorrow." He said. "Goodnight Hartia."

Hartia sprang to his feet and followed him to the door. "Lai…" he began.

Lai raised an eyebrow at him. "Yes?" he queried.

Hartia blushed. "Nothing… forget it. Goodnight."

When his friend had gone, Hartia sank to the floor. "Dammit! I've missed my only chance!" he groaned.

"Nonsense!" a regal voice said from the doorway…

* * *

Sunday, another day of the week that the two friends always spent together. They had spent the day strolling through the grounds, mediating in mock duels and showing off their powers to students, who looked in wonder. 

"Y'know, we're starting to act like Krylancelo." Lai had commented.

"Ugh! No! Make it stop! Make it stop!" Hartia cried dramatically, making Lai chuckle.

"So, battlements tonight?" Hartia asked, it was a Sunday night ritual; star gazing on the battlements. There had been a time when Krylancelo, Azalie and Master Childman had joined them too, but now it was just the two of them.

Lai smiled. "I wouldn't miss it for the world." He answered, ruffling Hartia's hair affectionately.

"Great!" Hartia grinned happily.

Now, it was 9:00 pm and the pair were staring into a telescope, stretched out on their backs staring out at the sparkling night sky, swapping stories of what had happened in the week gone by while they hadn't been in each other's company. So really, there wasn't much to tell. Most of the time they reminisced about the days before Azalie had become the Bloody August.

"Azalie; the most powerful sorceress around, but terrified of frogs, and Krylancelo knew it too." Hartia laughed.

"Oh no, don't tell me!" Lai grinned.

"Yep, Krylancelo and I put standard green tree frogs in her room, enlarged to about three times their normal size!"

"Well that explains the screaming that I'd heard that day. I wondered what upset her so much." Lai laughed.

"Yep, that was us. Although we paid for it later." Hartia replied with a grin.

"I'll bet you did, I wouldn't have liked to be you when Azalie got a hold of you." Lai chuckled.

"No, you wouldn't have. _We_ didn't like being us!" Hartia said, trying to keep a straight face.

Hey stayed like that for hours, and it was well past midnight before Lai got off the floor. "C'mon, we'd better go inside, or you'll be ugly in the morning… uglier that usual!" he joked.

Hartia pulled a face. "I figure if I don't go to bed then I'll be okay." He replied, only half kidding.

"Well that doesn't work for me, I need my sleep." Lai retorted with a smile. "I'll see you in the morning." He pulled his hood over his head and began to head down the battlement steps.

This time, Hartia didn't hesitate. "Lai, don't go yet!" he begged.

Lai turned and raised an eyebrow. "And why not?" he queried lightly, although inside his heart was pounding. '_I'd jump over the battlements if you asked me to!'_ he thought desperately.

"It's nearly sunrise, why don't we stay and watch it."

Lai laughed. "Idiot, sunrise is three hours away at least!"

Hartia rolled his eyes. "That's beside the point!" he pouted.

"Goodnight Hartia." Lai chuckled softly.

Before he knew what he was doing, Hartia had called his name again. "Lai…"

The eyebrow went up again. "Yes?"

Before he actually had to think about what he was going to do and talked himself out of it, Hartia moved closer to the older man.

Lai felt his breath quicken. "Hartia?" he asked.

Hartia stalled any further talking by reaching up and resting his fingers gently on his friend's lips. Slowly, he pushed the folds of Lai's cloak away from his face, and he moved his fingers to trail them lightly down his face.

A sudden thought made Lai's mind briefly kick in again. He caught Hartia's hand in his. "You weren't really asleep the other night, were you?" he asked suspiciously.

Hartia didn't answer; he simply reached up and kissed him so lightly it almost felt as if it hadn't happened. Lai didn't believe it was real until Hartia turned a red colour that rivalled his hair and moved backwards, stuttering apologies.

"Don't be sorry Hartia." Lai told him, and he strode forward and took the younger boy's hand. He pulled him close and did what he had longed to do for years… kissed him passionately.

At first, the kiss took Hartia by surprise, but then he kissed Lai back hard, smiling against the taller man's lips.

Neither one of them could scarcely believe that this was happening; it felt like they were slipping into a dream that they never wanted to wake from. Lai deepened the kiss, running his tongue gently across Hartia's lips. He moaned and opened his mouth, giving Lai what he so desperately craved. They had completely succumbed to the desire of the love that they had both longed for, and neither one of them was willing to ever give that up. Hartia forgot everything as he twined his arms around Lai's neck, and Lai buried his hands in Hartia's hair. They stood like that for what seemed like an eternity of blissful oblivion, until Lai had to break away before he took things too far, resulting in things the sane part of him could hardly dare to imagine.

After exchanging more feverish kisses, they finally broke apart, breathing raggedly. This time, Hartia was content to simply stand within the circle of Lai's arms, and he looked wonderingly up into the other boy's eyes, caressing his face softly with his fingers.

Lai smiled down at his love. "You never answered my question." He teased.

Hartia grinned cheekily. "All right no, I wasn't asleep. I was, but I woke up when you came in." he replied, winning himself another round of very warm kisses.

When all he could do was hang in Lai's grip, Hartia asked, "Why didn't you say something?" when Lai looked at him strangely, he explained. "Before Friday night I mean. Why didn't you say something sooner?"

Lai sighed. "Because I didn't think that you felt the same way." He answered. "You have no idea what you do to me Hart, you don't know what's its like to be me, looking at you, talking to you, _being_ with you every single day and wondering what it would be like to hold you, to kiss you."

Hartia shivered agreeably at the pet name, and smiled crookedly. "No, but I _do_ know what its like to be _me_, looking at _you_, talking to _you_, being with _you_ every single day and wondering the exact same thing." He replied.

"Oh." Lai wasn't sure how to answer that. "Well, I guess we're even then." He said finally.

Hartia nodded. "And we found the answers we were looking for too." He said, and kissed Lai to prove his point.

"Hmmm, very true." Lai agreed. He smiled. "That sunrise suddenly seems like a good idea after all."

Hartia grinned cheekily. "I've got a better idea." He murmured in Lai's ear, making him quiver with excitement.

When Hartia woke the next morning, he found himself drowning in Lai's smiling eyes, and wrapped contentedly in his arms.

Somewhere in the Tower of Fang, a meddlesome Elder chuckled softly to himself.

* * *

Orphen sat with his back against his a sun-kissed rock, grinning as he re-read the letter that had just arrived by carrier pigeon from Hartia. 

"Well it's about time too!" he commented with a laugh.

"Master?" Majic queried. Still grinning, Orphen passed the letter to his apprentice. Majic skimmed the letter and he too found himself smiling. "Who would've thought?" he said wonderingly.

"I've known for ages," Orphen answered. "In fact, everyone knew they liked each other except Lai and Hartia themselves."

"What's this?" Cleao demanded, "Something about Shrimp Man?"

"Hartia and Lai finally got it together." Orphen told her.

Cleao smiled and rolled her eyes skyward. "Finally! It's only taken them how long?"

Majic grinned. "I can think of two people who are taking _way_ longer!" he teased.

Because he took them by surprise, the best they could come up with was a simultaneous "Shut up Majic!"

He laughed and lay down on his back; arms behind his head, watching the clouds pass overhead.

"But if they liked each other so much," he mused thoughtfully, "Why _didn't_ they tell each other sooner?"

Orphen chuckled, "Like I said, everybody knew except them. It was a case of Hartia being in love with Lai, and Lai being in love with Hartia, but because neither one of them knew the other's true feelings, they did nothing about it."

Majic cast his master a sideways glance, and saw that Orphen was watching Cleao, who was playing with Leki, a soft half-smile on his face.

He smirked. "Sounds like someone else I know!" he quipped.

That earned him another "Shut up Majic!" and a gleeful yap of agreement to his statement from Leki.

He laughed, life was good.

* * *

By the end of the week, Lai and Hartia's relationship was common knowledge in the Tower of Fang. But then, as Krylancelo had said, everyone knew they liked each other anyway. So everybody knew, but nobody really talked about it either. Well, not in public anyway. 

People did congratulate the couple in the hallways, genuinely happy that the two had finally 'got it together', so to speak.

Hartia sighed as he dropped into a chair and put his head on the table.

"Morning Hart," the wicked grin was back, "Sleep well?"

Hartia groaned. "Shut up! You know damn well I didn't! It's your fault!" (Interpret that how you will; personally, I don't want to think about it!)

Lai grinned and put on an innocent "Who? Me?" face. "There, there, you'll live." He said, patting him on the back.

"Yeah, yeah." Hartia glared at him and changed the subject. "I swear if one more person congratulates me… how did they find out anyway? I thought we were careful enough."

"C'mon Hart," Hartia smiled at him, he _loved_ that pet name. "You know as well as I do that the walls would collapse if there was no gossip in these hallways. The Tower of Fang would cease to exist if the staff and students didn't talk." Lai said calmly.

"That's certainly true." Hartia admitted.

The day passed slowly, and neither Lai, nor Hartia, could wait until classes ended and they could disappear.

Later that night, as they lay entwined in each other's arms, neither one of them could figure out what they had done to deserve such happiness; how they had found each other so perfectly. And at that moment, neither one of them cared, they just let it be.

**END**

The end. I'm thinking of putting up either an Orphen/Cleao chapter or an Orphen/Majic chapter, or maybe both. I would appreciate it if people would review and tell me which one they wanted. Please R&R!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Sorcerous Stabber Orphen_, but I seriously wish I did!


	2. Orphen and Majic

Here is chapter two. Thanks for the reviews! Majic and Orphen won by the way.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own... unfortunately

* * *

**Let It Be**

**Chapter 2**

The sun beat down on our faces as we strolled through the greenest fields I'd ever seen. We were on our way back yet again to the Tower of Fang. Master wanted to visit his friends Hartia and Lai to congratulate them on their newfound relationship.

Cleao was, as usual, lagging behind complaining about one thing or another. I'd stopped listening to her hours ago though, I mean, I'm the poor sucker who carries everything… and I literally mean everything.

Leki's trotting along beside Cleao; he'd gotten bored of sitting on her head, plus he's getting a little big to make that practical for too long.

Master told us that we'd stop by and visit Stephanie and Tim for a few days on the way over, and I'm pretty happy about that. I really like Steph, even if I am a little weirded out by her… past identity. I still can't help but wonder if she told Tim about it.

In fact, that's where we're headed now; we should be there by nightfall tomorrow. I won't deny that I'm looking forward to sleeping in a real bed for a change, and being able to eat real food, Steph's the best cook!

Looking at Master, who's a fair way ahead of us, I can see that his mind is elsewhere. By my guess, I'd say that he's either thinking about Azalie or Cleao. I've gotten pretty good at reading him since we brought Azalie back.

I know that he's got feelings for Cleao, I just wish he'd do something about them before it drives us all insane… but for some reason there's a part of me that is glad that he hasn't told her how he feels about her. Don't ask me why, there just is.

I spend a lot of time watching him. That's how I've got so good at reading his emotions. I don't really know or understand why I watch his every move like a hawk; it's just that I… care about him, probably a lot more than I should. It's hard to explain, and I know it's wrong, but some part of me wishes that he'd chosen me over Cleao. Don't ask me why, cause I have no idea. I still like to pay them out though; it makes me feel a little better about my situation to see them get flustered and embarrassed when I take a dig at them.

I don't understand these feelings. It's like my whole body is on fire. My heart races every time I look at him. I can't help it.

I remember feeling this way before, with Fiena mostly, and to a degree, Eris too. But never have I had feelings of such magnitude towards another person.

Could I be…? Could I have… fallen in love with Orphen? No! No way! It's not possible! He's an older brother to me! Yeah, that's it, an older brother!

But… I don't really believe that, do I?

I let my mind wander away as we walked along the seemingly endless road. I wondered what it would be like if he kissed me, held me, looked at me with the same heat in his eyes that he did when he looked at Cleao or thought about Azalie. Basically, I didn't stand a chance. Whenever he looked at me, it was usually with exasperation. Let's face it… I'm the worst sorcerer ever; even though I'm trying as hard as I can.

I thought about how long it had taken Hartia and Lai to get together. Talk about sheer torture! There was no way I was going to put myself through that… not in a million years!

"Awww man! I'm so exhausted! Can we stop? Orphen? ORPHEN!" Cleao screeched, practically blowing out my ear drums as she yelled at him.

He stopped, and turned scowling to face us. "No, we can keep going a little longer." He said shortly.

"No way! We're stopping NOW!" Cleao yelled.

Orphen gave an impatient sigh. "Cleao, there's a forest a couple of hours away; we've got to pass through it in order to Steph's. We'll camp there, so you can keep going."

He stared her down until she looked away, grumbling under her breath. I guess he's got to win an argument against her eventually. Normally he caves like sand under a wave… not that I can talk; I'm just as bad. Cleao's intimidating, frightening, and downright scary.

It took longer than a couple of hours for us to get to the outskirts of the forest, because Cleao had to stop and complain every five minutes just to annoy Orphen because she didn't get her way in the first place.

He led us into the trees and we travelled for about half an hour until we stopped in a clearing much like the one we stayed in when we were attacked by the robot gardeners what now seems like a very long time ago.

Cleao sat down at the base of a tree with a loud sigh. This basically translates to "You boys can do all the work while I sit around and look beautiful."

Orphen looked at me and jerked his head towards the nearby water, "Come with me." He ordered, and I followed him silently.

We went to the water's edge and he knelt down; motioning for me to do the same. When I did so he said to me. "Here's a useful little spell that will tell you whether or not the water's fit to drink." He held his hand over the water, not quite touching the surface. "Right, here's what you do." The magic began to gather around his hand and I watched, breathless like I always do. He's so powerful, and I love that about him.

He said the simple spell. It seemed easy enough to do, but knowing me… anything could go wrong.

"Now you try." He commanded. "If the water's pure it'll go blue, if it's not, it'll turn red." So I knelt beside him and held my hand just over the water, reciting the same words as he had. Needless to say, my attempt failed miserably. Orphen rolled his eyes at me, grabbed my hand and pulled my hand into the water. "Now try, it might amplify your magic." He said. I could feel my face flush a deep red at the feel of his hand around mine, and I could feel it turning redder when he kept it there.

I tried the spell again, his hand still clasped around mine. I don't know if he helped me or not, but it worked this time, and my magic glowed a sapphire blue.

With a chuckle, he ruffled my hair with his other hand. With a grin he pulled me into the water with a deft flick of his wrist. I landed in the shallowish water with an indignant yell.

"What did you do that for?" I demanded as I swam towards the edge where he was kneeling, laughing delightedly.

He brought his face close to mine. "Because I felt like it." He whispered heatedly, an odd look on his face. For a brief moment I was staring into his deep wine coloured eyes, and before I knew it he was kissing me, his tongue flickering across my lips.

I gasped and opened my mouth to him, allowing him entrance. I began to kiss him back feverishly. I felt him lift me out of the water, his magic drying me off as he did so and I could feel my skin tingling at his touch.

I was thankful that Cleao couldn't see us as he pushed me against a nearby tree, his hand roaming up my stomach; inside my shirt, making me shiver agreeably and arch myself towards him. I left a trail of kisses down his neck before he captured my mouth again, and I surrendered myself to him as his hands slid further over my skin.

It stopped as suddenly as it began, he stepped back, his eyes wide and horrified; an expression I don't think I've ever seen on his face.

"I'm sorry Majic!" he said hoarsely, "I should've done that, I don't know what came over me!" he retreated hurriedly towards our camp.

I followed, feeling desolate, rejected and confused. I didn't hear the bushes rustle and a blonde head with blue eyes followed us, a small smile on her face, before she took a shortcut back to camp… we never even knew that Cleao had followed us until much later.

I guess you could say that I got what I wanted; but now that I've had a taste of him, I want him more than ever. An hour ago I would've told you that that was all I needed; just a single moment, but if you asked me now, I would tell you that that would never be enough. Never.

* * *

I avoided Majic like the plague for the entire night and the whole next day. Why the hell did I do that? What _possessed _me to do something so completely and utterly stupid? Why did I have to kiss him? I couldn't look at him. How am I going to teach the kid if I can't even look at him?

I thought that I loved Cleao, but I never even stopped to think about Majic and his feelings… or my feelings for him. He just looked so damn cute, concentrating on the spell so hard and the smile on his face when he got it right. And when I looked at him sitting in the water, soaked to the skin and his clothes plastered flat to his body, he looked beyond cute. He looked… well, hot…sexy even. A small smile flitted across my face as I thought back to the fiery kiss we had shared.

I immediately banished the thought from my mind, and tried to concentrate on the road ahead with little success. I kept thinking about the curve of his body against mine, and the feel of his lips on my skin. What the hell was going on with me?

I could feel both Majic's and Cleao's eyes on me as we walked. It made me uncomfortable. No doubt Cleao had seen the tension between Majic and I when we returned from the water last night, and today as we travel. She's probably wondering what the hell is going on with us. Heh, that makes two of us.

It was nightfall before we reached Steph's house. As usual she threw her arms around me and I hugged her back before releasing her to shake hands with her husband, in turn she hugged Majic and Cleao, who returned her hug with the same cheerful smile and greeting that I had… even if Majic's did seem a little forced.

"Hey Steph, no evil murdering dolls and possessed gargoyles this time?" I asked her. She snorted and glared at me.

We sat there all day catching up on gossip. Sometime in the mid afternoon Majic and Cleao went shopping; like we need any more stuff for us to carry… well, for Majic to carry actually.

When they left, Steph bailed me up and said. "What happened?"

"Huh?" I looked at her blankly.

"Between you and Majic?" she prompted, being a lot less tactful than she usually is.

"Nothing happened between me and Majic." I replied quickly. Too quickly, because she picked it up.

"Orphen, I wasn't your partner for all those years for nothing." She reminded me with a grin. So she can read me like a book, I kinda forgot about that small, crucial little detail. Damn.

I had no choice but to tell her, in a lot less detail, what had happened between us. "I kissed him." I said simply.

Steph nodded sagely. "I thought it might've been something like that." She answered. "You could've cut the tension in the room with a knife earlier."

I winced. "I was an idiot; I have no idea what made me do it."

"I do." She told me. "You like him… maybe you even love him."

"No way." I protested.

"Why not, it's not really any different to what happened to me." Steph reminded me. "Of course you wouldn't have to go to the extreme that I did." She added hurriedly and I grinned.

"What I'm trying to say is, maybe you should talk to him." she finished.

"I'm not in love with him Steph." I said.

"Then either act as if nothing happened, which by the looks of things is going to be near impossible, or talk to him about it." She replied.

"I pick the former." I said immediately.

"That's not the way to go Orphen and you know it." Steph reprimanded me.

"Says who?" I replied stubbornly.

She sighed. "All right, I get the point; I'll drop the subject. But please talk to him Orphen; it'll make you both feel better."

"Yeah maybe." I answered softly, tensing as I heard the front door open and Majic and Cleao came inside.

That night Majic and I went walking in the town so that we could talk in private. Steph got the message and kept Cleao occupied long enough for us to get out of the house without her demanding to come too.

We walked to the fountain in the middle of the town, not far from Tim's shop. We sat at the edge and I told him to see if he could make that water spell work again. After reassuring him that I hadn't helped him the previous night, he hesitantly held his hand over the water and recited the spell. Much to his delight, it worked first time.

"You're getting better Majic, I'm impressed." I told him.

He blushed. "Thanks Master." He said softly.

I took a deep breath; now for the hard part. "I'm sorry about what I did last night." I murmured.

He sighed. "Don't be." He replied. He sounded sad, and I wondered what he meant.

"I shouldn't have done that." I argued.

"But I kissed you back, which was a stupid thing to do. So it's my fault too." He whispered.

His blonde hair was glowing softly in the moonlight, his blue eyes gleaming from the light of a nearby lamp. He looked older that way, yet at the same time, a lot more vulnerable.

His hair was falling in his eyes, and I gave in to the irresistible urge to push it back. He looked up at me, disconcerted, but what shocked me most was the barely masked look of longing in his eyes.

I was mentally kicking myself for what I was about to do. I leaned in and kissed him ever so lightly on the lips. He tensed, but soon relaxed and I felt him melt into me. I brought my arms around his waist and his went around my neck.

As my mind caught up, I pulled back and put my head in my hands. "Sorry, God I'm such an idiot." I said to myself.

"Don't be sorry." He said, before getting up and heading back to Steph's.

After he left, I sat back and stared up at the full moon above me. I thought about what Stephanie had said earlier; about my being in love with him.

Maybe she was right. Maybe I really _was_ in love with him and not Cleao. Why else would I do that to him… _twice_? I'm such a moron! How could I not see it earlier? How could I not see what was right in front of me? How could I not see that I was in love with Majic?

I guess being a sorcerer doesn't really give you great openings for a love life… I mean, look at master Childman and Azalie, that was the biggest screw up this world has ever seen, a love that killed hundreds of people in the form of a giant bloody dragon!

So, if I really am in love with him, what exactly can I do about it?

* * *

I can't believe he kissed me again! Oh God, this hurts so much! What am I going to do? I'm crazy for him and going crazy without him.

I walked slowly back to Steph and Tim's with my head down and tears threatening to spill from my eyes. What am I going to do? I have to spend nearly every moment of the day with this guy, how could I do that when I knew that I meant nothing to him past an accident that was never meant to happen in the first place?

I walked back inside and said goodnight to Cleao, Steph and Tim. I collapsed on to my bed before realising that I had to share a room with him. Lucky for me I fell asleep before he came back.

The next day we moved on again, promising we'd visit again soon, and that we'd write when we got to the Tower of Fang. Once again I was stuck carrying the luggage; it's a wonder I haven't fallen over backwards from the weight of them, and they're even heavier than before thanks to Cleao's shopping spree yesterday. I swear, I've never known a girl to buy as much pointless crap as Cleao. I wonder if her sister, Mariabella, is as bad as she is.

I couldn't pass up the chance to grumble about it, and Orphen ignored me as usual while Cleao glared at me.

"How long is it going to take us to get there?" she asked.

"About three days if we travel at a decent pace." Orphen answered shortly. I could tell he was preoccupied.

As luck would have it, there was a kind elderly couple who were travelling past a day later so we made it there a day earlier than we thought we would. Good for me, because it meant one less day of travelling with those damn packs on my back!

Hartia and Lai were waiting for us at the main entrance of the Tower of Fang. I noticed with a small grin that they were standing arm in arm, and Hartia had his head on Lai's shoulder. When they saw us walking through the courtyard towards them, Hartia's head went up and both men began to wave delightedly.

Orphen met each of them with a hand clasp and a friendly hug. "It's good to see you again Krylancelo." Hartia told his long time friend.

"Likewise Hartia." He answered, seemingly not minding the use of his old name.

"I trust that you have all been well?" Hartia continued, including Cleao and I in the conversation.

"Can't complain shrimp man." Cleao answered cheekily.

"DON'T CALL ME SHRIMP MAN!" Hartia yelled indignantly.

"Perhaps we should continue this inside, Hart." Lai said with a grin. He looked at Orphen and grinned. "It's Sunday, coming to the battlements tonight?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah you bet!" Orphen answered with a grin that matched Lai's. "Wouldn't miss it for the world… just like old times huh guys?"

"Indeed." Lai answered as he and Hartia led us inside.

Our rooms were all next door to each other, which sucked. So as soon as I dumped my gear I ran off to find Eris. It didn't take me long to find her, because I knew all her hiding spots from my time spent here studying. I used to hide there too after all.

"Majic!" she yelled delightedly, pulling me into the hidden area of one of the Tower of Fang's many inner courtyards. When we were alone, she threw her arms around my neck and I hugged her back. Eris was the closest thing I felt I now had to a little sister.

But I was a little taken aback at question she asked me. "How are things going with Orphen?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Awww c'mon Majic, I'm not stupid. I know what's going on. You love him; you always have."

I was shocked, but not overly surprised at her words, Eris was the only person who could really tell what I was thinking. Quietly I explained our two encounters. She listened intently, a small smile on her face.

"I knew it!" she crowed. "He so totally likes you!" she sounded like the teenager that she was, not like a young sorceress in training who was meant to be much more polite and poised than she was currently being.

"Nah, I don't think so." I said. "It meant nothing to him."

"Yeah right. Then why did he kiss you more than once, and that passionately?" Eris retorted. She'd hassled me until I gave up and told her every little detail. "But if you're waiting for him to tell you how he feels, you could be waiting for a very long time." She said seriously.

"Funny that." I retorted. "Because it's never going to happen."

"Nonsense." She told me cheerfully. "But maybe you should make the first move."

"No way." I said and changed the subject.

When I got back to my room, he was waiting in there for me, sitting on my bed. I tried to still the racing of my heart as I closed the door behind me. "Hello Master, can I help you?" I asked him softly.

"Perhaps." He answered; his voice equally as soft. "But right now I just need to talk to you." He patted the space beside him and I shook my head slightly before seating myself on the floor a fair way away from him. He sighed and slid off the bed and on to the floor so that he was sitting cross legged and facing me.

"Look, I know I've been acting strange lately, but after taking some advice from Steph, Hartia and Lai, I think I've finally figured out what's going on." He told me.

"Oh, do tell." I said heavily.

"I think that I've had my head in the clouds for an incredibly long time, not to see what was right in front of me all this time." He replied simply.

My heart rate was increasing rapidly. "What exactly are you trying to say?" I asked.

He grinned lopsidedly. "That I'm in love with you, idiot." He answered.

I could scarcely believe what I was hearing. _He _was in love with _me? _Did I hear him right? I suddenly realised that I didn't care. I launched myself across the floor and threw myself at him. With a laugh he opened his arms and wrapped them around my waist as I curled up against him, his lips resting on my hair.

"I love you too." I whispered.

I felt myself being pushed lightly on to the floor. His lips hungrily captured mine and his hands slid under my shirt, caressing my skin. His tongue flicked across my lips and I opened my mouth with a moan to allow him entrance. It was playing out almost exactly like that night in the forest…

Only this time it didn't have to end.

The next morning I was walking through the inner courtyard when Eris pulled me into our little hideaway.

"So what happened? You weren't at dinner and neither was Orphen." She said excitedly. She must've read the look on my face (AKA the stupid grin) because she shrieked with delight before I even opened my mouth.

"Tell me everything!" she ordered. "I _have_ to know!"

"I don't think you want to know _everything_." I answered quietly.

"Oh? Oh… _Ooohhhh,_ I see." Eris said; her eyes wide. "Well as much detail as you're willing to give then." She told me cheekily.

So I told her as much as I felt she needed to hear. "Hmmm… the floor huh? I thought he would have more taste than the floor." She said wickedly.

"Why? There are plenty of good floors out there!" I answered, and laughed at the horrified look on her face as she registered what I said.

"You're disgusting!" she said with a giggle, punching me lightly on the arm.

That night, I ended up in Orphen's room, wrapped up in his arms. Before I drifted off into sleep he kissed me and murmured. "Aishiteru Majic."

I smiled sleepily. "Aishiteru Orphen." I answered.

* * *

The end. Believe it or not I actually had the floor conversation with my friend Caitlin after watching Gravitation episode 2. I had to put it in! 


End file.
